The relationship between the "Annie Hall" star and director and Soon-Yi Previn, the daughter of his then partner Mia Farrow, was one of the biggest scandals of the 1990s, resulting in his son Ronan Farrow distancing himself from his father - and now, twenty years later, Woody Allen's wife is back on headlines.
Soon-Yi has been Woody Allen's wife for years, tying the knot in 1997 after years' worth of scandal, and having adopted two daughters; however, the stigma of their relationship has followed them for years, as many thought that, although Allen wasn't Soon-Yi's adopted father, he was in a long term relationship with her mother and the media saw the relationship as that of a step father with his daughter.
According to Vanity Fair, the famously private director gave a very rare interview as he promotes his latest film starring Emma Stone, "Irrational Man," in which he was asked about Woody Allen's wife - and surprisingly replied.
The Daily Mail reports that the multitalented 79 year-old explained the dynamics of his relationship with Woody Allen's wife, with whom he thought he'd just have "a fling," but surprisingly the relationship ended up working in spite of the scandal surrounding them - and it happened because he was "paternal" and she responded to someone with those qualities.
"I liked her youth and energy," Allen explained to NPR's Sam Fragoso, speaking about Woody Allen's wife. "She deferred to me, and I was happy to give her an enormous amount of decision making just as a gift and let her take charge of so many things. She flourished. It was just a good luck thing."
Of course, as many news outlets recount, this is a different story than the one Allen and Previn were telling in the early days of their relationship, when Allen said he was probably "more mature" than him and Previn told the media it was "ludicrous" for media to say he was a father figure to her.
In any case, 20 years after the well-publicized scandal (somewhat recounted in his 1997 film "Deconstructing Harry"), Soon-Yi Previn continues to be Woody Allen's wife, so their relationship has definitely worked and grown as years go by.
